1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a composite dive fin assembly comprising primary, secondary, and lateral propulsion surfaces cooperatively configured to displace an increased amount of water per kick or stroke over corresponding propulsion edges while reducing resistive forces to displacement of water, thereby allowing a user to swim further, faster, and with the less effort relative to heretofore previously known dive fins.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of dive fins to help a swimmer move more efficiently through a body of water is well known. Numerous variations on dive fins have been used throughout the years having a generally flat elongated blade with raised edges along each side which serve to direct and displace water off the terminal or trailing end of the dive fin. The displacement of water off the trailing end of the dive fin provides the force or thrust which helps propel the swimmer through the body of water. Typically, the trailing or terminal end of a dive fin is about six to twelve inches from side to side.
The majority of known dive fins have this same general type of structure, the major differences being the shape or configuration of the terminal end such as concave, convex, scalloped, ribbed, thicker, thinner, etc., however, they are still structured to direct water to the trailing end of the dive fin. As such, they all operate in essentially the same manner, that is to say, the surface of the fin combined with the raised edges form a scoop like configuration which the user forces through the water as he or she kicks, i.e., a stroke, which displaces water from a proximal end towards a distal end and over the trailing end of the dive fin. Of course, similar to moving a spoon or ladle through a liquid, this scoop configuration provides considerable resistance, and thus requires a considerable amount of effort and energy on the part of the swimmer in order to displace water and propel themselves.
As the overwhelming majority of known dive fins comprise this type of configuration, the majority of known dive fins suffer from the same inherent flaws, i.e., significant energy is required of the user to displace limited amounts of water for thrust. Of course, there have been attempts to improve upon the hydrodynamic characteristics of this conventional dive fin configuration, however, the known alternatives still fall short of effectively increasing the amount of water displaced while reducing the amount of energy required when a dive fin is moved through the water as a swimmer kicks.
As one example, a multiple serial hydrofoil swim fin design includes air foil like fins attached to a planar blade member. In at least one embodiment, the air foil like side fins and tail member are cooperatively structured to direct water flow alternately over and/or under the surfaces of each in attempts to aid propelling a swimmer through the water. Once again, however, and similar to the aforementioned conventional dive fin configurations, thrust is still provided via water displaced over the trailing end of single tail fin at the distal end of the hydrofoil swim fin.
Another variation includes a conventional dive fin attached along the sides of the user's legs. This dive fin, however, once again comprises a generally flat surface having raised edges defining a scoop like configuration, thus still requiring significant effort by the swimmer in order to displace water in order to propel himself or herself. In addition, given the reduced overall size of this particular dive fin variation it is believed that the amount of water displaced per stroke will also be less than that displaced by a conventional known dive fin as described above.
Other variations include forming the trailing end of a dive fin in the shape of various fish tails, however, each of these supposed improvements suffer from the same defect noted above, i.e., water is only displaced off of the trailing end of the dive fin itself, thereby inherently limiting the amount of water displaced per kick or stroke by a swimmer in a body of water.
Thus, it would be beneficial to provide an improved dive fin assembly specifically structured to displace a greater amount of water per kick or stroke than is currently possible while swimming with the aforementioned and previously known dive fins. This, in and of itself, would allow swimmers to propel themselves farther and/or faster. It would be further beneficial to provide an improved dive fin assembly which reduces resistance to displacing water across its propulsion surface or surfaces, once again, such that swimmers can propel themselves farther and/or faster. A further advantage may be realized from such an improved dive fin assembly by incorporating one or more flexible portions along its length disposed to increase action of one or more portions thereof so as to generate secondary propulsion forces.